Bloggings of the pastor of First Congregational Church, Brimfield, Massachusetts.
You are a vessel designed to hold God's blessings. God wants to fill you to the brim...and then some!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Phoenix Affirmations Week 6

Here are the next two Affirmations along with scripture (links are
active). We will be reflecting on these during worship this Sunday.
Please leave your reactions in comments, particularly if you won't be
present on Sunday to share them in person. Comments may be used in
worship.

LOVING OURSELVES INCLUDES:

Affirmation 11: Caring
for our bodies, and insisting on taking time to enjoy the benefits of
prayer, reflection, worship and recreation in addition to work;

As Christians, we strive to
embrace and embody ways of living that promote the health of the
body, the joy of living, and the benefits attained when work is
combined with rest and recreation, reflection and prayer. We do this
for our sake, for the sake of others, for the sake of the earth, and
for the sake of Christ.

We affirm that the Path of Jesus
is found where Christ's followers care for their bodies as temples of
the holy, and take time to pray and play, to worship, and to reflect,
as essential parts of their vocation.

We confess that we have moved
away from this Path when we have supported the ethics of Pharaoh over
the ethics of God by promoting systems of production and consumption
without attending to the disciplines of rest and recreation,
reflection and prayer. We have further moved from the Path when we
have denigrated or abused our bodies, or those of others, or denied
the rights and responsibilities of others to make decisions about how
they care for the bodies God gave them.

Affirmation 12: Acting
on the faith that we are born with a meaning and purpose; a vocation
and ministry that serves to strengthen and extend God's realm of
love.

As Christians, we practice prayer
as a daily discipline, seeking in prayer both to enjoy God's presence
and to discern God's will for our lives and our faith communities. We
accept it as one of our highest responsibilities and privileges to
help those in our communities of faith discern God's direction for
their lives, and to celebrate and value their discernment in the
worship and missional life of the church. In every available way, we
seek to help people develop and use their diverse callings as an
expression of their faith.

We affirm that the Path of Jesus
is found where all of Christ's followers are understood to be called
into a ministry. God's intention for us can be found and followed,
however haltingly and imperfectly, in obedience to the guidance and
insights, which come in prayer. We hold this conviction to be true of
the Church as well as of each of its members.

We confess that we have moved
away from this Path when we have claimed that one form of ministry is
any higher or more sacred than any other, in or outside a church
Further, we have moved from the Path when we have failed to
concretely value meaningful input and participation by both laypeople
and clergy in the worship and mission of our communities.